By EMS1 Staff
BARTOW, Fla. — A man was saved by his co-workers after suffering cardiac arrest while operating a forklift.
Jimmy Weeks, an employee of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, was working on a reach truck when he went into cardiac arrest. His co-worker, Luis Guevara, went to check on him after hearing a crash. He found Weeks unconscious and changing color, so he yelled for help.
Co-workers Walter Nevarez, Mark Bradley and Chris Hervling rushed to perform CPR. Other colleagues called 911 and brought an AED to help before responders arrived.
“This rapid recognition, response and treatment no doubt saved Jimmy Weeks’ life. It is my understanding that this company early on put an investment into the safety and wellbeing of their employees by providing training in CPR and AEDs,” Polk County EMS Deputy Chief Raf Vittone said. “Emergency medical services as a whole are only as successful as the citizen first responder. An example of this was on display just a few days ago in Las Vegas. More victims would have died if not for the efforts of bystanders providing first aid, CPR and rapid transportation to the hospital.”
Senior Director of Operations Rick Orcutt threw a celebratory lunch for the workers.
“I couldn’t be prouder of those who helped save Jimmy’s life. And to those who haven’t taken the step to be CPR certified, use this example to get certified. The skills you gain will travel with you wherever you are.”
Weeks said he hopes to be back at work by January 2018.